Bruce is a masculine given name of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Brus, which means "bush" or "thicket". The name has been associated with several notable historical figures in Scotland, including Robert the Bruce, who was a king of Scotland from 1306 to his death in 1329.
The name Bruce gained popularity outside of Scotland during the Victorian era when it became fashionable for English families to adopt Scottish names. Today, Bruce is still considered a strong and robust name that has been popular among parents for many years.
Some famous individuals with the name Bruce include American actor Bruce Willis, Canadian comedian Bruce McCulloch, and Australian cricket player Bruce Reid. The name has also been used in pop culture, such as in the Batman character Bruce Wayne/Batman, who is named after Robert the Bruce.
Bruce is a classic and timeless name that has been consistently popular over the years in the United States. Let's take a look at some interesting statistics about this name.
In the late 19th century, Bruce was not yet a top choice for parents. Between 1880 and 1890, the number of births with the name Bruce hovered around the 50-60 range annually. However, starting from the early 20th century, we began to see an increase in popularity.
The year 1911 marked a significant turning point for Bruce as it became more popular than ever before, with 155 births recorded that year. This trend continued throughout the 1910s and into the 1920s, with over 1,000 babies named Bruce each year from 1923 onwards.
The peak of popularity for Bruce was reached in the early 1940s during World War II. In 1946 alone, following the end of the war, there were an astonishing 8,459 births registered with the name Bruce – a new record high! This popularity persisted through the late 1940s and into the 1950s, with over 14,000 babies named Bruce annually during this period.
However, as time passed, Bruce began to fall out of favor among parents. From the mid-1960s onwards, there was a steady decline in the number of newborn boys being given the name Bruce. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, fewer than 2,000 babies were named Bruce each year.
Despite this decline, Bruce remained relatively stable as a mid-tier choice among parents throughout most of the late 20th century. In recent years, however, we have seen another resurgence in its popularity, with over 500 births annually since 2016.
In total, between 1880 and 2023, there were approximately 385,744 babies born in the United States named Bruce. This demonstrates that while trends may come and go, classic names like Bruce continue to maintain their relevance over time.